Resolutions at Annual Meeting

Messengers affirmed six resolutions, including four dealing with social issues, at the Annual Meeting.

On “Same-Sex Marriage” and Civil Rights Rhetoric

WHEREAS, Marriage is a covenant relationship and an institution established by God rather than simply a human social construct (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; Ephesians 5:22–33); and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have consistently affirmed our support of the biblical definition of marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman; and

WHEREAS, The Word of God indicates that all sexual behavior outside of marriage is sinful; and

WHEREAS, All people, regardless of race or sexual preference, are created in the image of God and thus should be treated with dignity and love (Genesis 1:26–27); and

WHEREAS, The Department of Justice has argued (Perry v. Schwarzenegger) that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional claiming that DOMA unfairly discriminates against homosexuals; and

WHEREAS, For the first time in history the President of the United States has publicly voiced his personal support of “same-sex marriage”; and affirmation of homosexual “marriage” has been added as a specific plank in the official platform of the Democratic National Convention; and

WHEREAS, Much of popular media overtly promotes the acceptance of homosexuality and portrays homosexual behavior as a legitimate variation of human sexuality; and

WHEREAS, Dan Cathy, Chief Operating Officer of Chick-fil-A, voiced support of a biblical definition of marriage and was met with a firestorm of criticism from public and corporate officials who hold that a biblical definition of marriage is discriminatory,

WHEREAS, Constitutional and statutory law already protect the civil rights of every American citizen, and sexual preferences do not constitute a special and protected class of citizens; and

WHEREAS, It is regrettable that homosexual rights activists and those who are promoting the recognition of “same-sex marriage” have misappropriated the rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Louisiana Baptist Convention meeting in West Monroe, Louisiana, November 12-13, 2012, oppose any attempt to frame “same-sex marriage” as a civil rights issue; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we deny that the effort to legalize “same-sex marriage”qualifies as a civil rights issue since homosexuality does not qualify as a class meriting special protections, like race and gender; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage our fellow Louisiana Baptists to fight for the civil rights of all people where such rights are consistent with the righteousness of God; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express our love to those who struggle with same-sex attraction and who are engaged in homosexual behavior; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we stand against any disrespectful attitudes, hateful rhetoric, or hate-incited actions toward persons who engage in acts of homosexuality; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm that pastors should preach the truth of God’s word on human sexuality, marriage, purity, and love with all boldness and without fear of reprisal; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage our fellow Southern Baptists to consider how they and their churches might engage in compassionate, redemptive ministry to those who struggle with homosexuality; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we proclaim that Christ offers forgiveness of and freedom from sin for those who turn from their sins and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sin.

On University of Louisiana at Lafayette offering a LGBT Minor

WHEREAS, The Scriptures indicate that all sexual behavior outside of marriage is a sin; and

WHEREAS, Human sexuality is a gift from God to be enjoyed under His instruction; and

WHEREAS, The citizens of Louisiana voiced clearly their opposition to the normalizing of same-sex marriages by a vote of 78% in September of 2004 in passing the Louisiana Marriage Amendment, Article XII, section 15 of the Louisiana State Constitution; and

WHEREAS, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette introduced a minor in LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender) studies during the 2012 spring semester which is in conflict with the values of a majority of Louisianans; and

WHEREAS, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a public university supported primarily with taxpayer funds; and

WHEREAS, These funds are being used to promote and endorse an agenda in opposition to the expressed will of the majority of the people of the state of Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, We have a biblical responsibility to nurture and train young people in the way they should go; therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Louisiana Baptist Convention meeting in West Monroe, Louisiana, November 12-13, 2012 strive diligently to uphold and advocate the biblical standard of sexuality; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call upon E. Joseph Savoie, Ed.D., President of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, to use his authority to dissolve immediately this LGBT minor; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call upon Sandra K. Woodley, DBA, President of the University of Louisiana System, Wayne Parker, chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System, and the board members of the University of Louisiana System to support and encourage President Savoie in this decision; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call upon Governor Bobby Jindal and the State Legislature to use their influence to bring about the dissolution of the new LGBT minor being offered at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That we call upon Louisiana Baptists, to publicly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in love as it relates to this issue.

WHEREAS, debt in general creates an obligation to the lender that threatens and reduces personal freedom,

WHEREAS, government debt in particular creates an obligation to the lender that threatens and weakens our and our posterity’s personal and political freedoms, (Deuteronomy 28:44 contra. Deuteronomy15:6; 28:12)

WHEREAS, studies show that the effects of debt contribute to marital and social stresses, including but not limited to, mental health problems, physical illness, divorce, bankruptcies, loss of homes and property, higher crime, and reductions of essential government services,

RESOLVED, We the messengers of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, meeting at West Monroe, Louisiana, November 12-13, 2012, strongly encourage our church members, families, churches and governments to practice financial responsibility according to biblical principles,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we steadfastly object to the accumulation of irresponsible, unreasonable, and unrestrained personal, family, church, and governmental debt,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we strongly encourage those who are in debt to pay in full by all ethical and legitimate means all debts that have been accumulated,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we call for our church members and families to act proactively in learning, applying daily, and teaching to others biblical financial principles (Proverbs 6:1-5),

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we call upon our churches to preach and to teach biblical financial principles,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we call upon our churches, our associations, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention to promote continually biblical financial principles through various means,

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, we call upon government officials at all levels (local, state, and federal) to operate within their incomes, balance their budgets, and eliminate all debt.

ON THE “SINNER’S PRAYER”

WHEREAS, God desires for every person to be saved and has made salvation available for any person who hears the Gospel (John 3:16; Romans 10:14-17; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2); and

WHEREAS, A free response to the Holy Spirit’s drawing through the Gospel is both possible and necessary in order for anyone to be born again (John 3:1-16; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 10:11-13; 1 Thessalonians 2:13); and

WHEREAS, Prayer is God’s gracious means through which any person can communicate with Him and is everywhere in Scripture commanded and commended for every matter and every person (2 Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 7:7-11; Mark 11:17; Philippians 4:6); and

WHEREAS, Praying to God to express repentance for sins, to acknowledge Christ as Lord, and to ask for forgiveness and salvation is modeled in the Bible (Acts 2:37-38; Romans 10:9-10); and

WHEREAS, While there is no one uniform wording found in Scripture or in the churches for a “Sinner’s Prayer,” the prayer of repentance and faith, acknowledging salvation through Christ alone and expressing complete surrender to His Lordship, is the biblical means by which any person can turn from sin and self, place his faith in Christ, and find forgiveness and eternal life (Luke 18:9-14, 23:39-43); and

WHEREAS, It is biblically appropriate to help a sinner in calling on the Lord for salvation and to speak of Christ’s response to such a prayer as“entering a sinner’s heart and life” (John 14:23; Acts 2:37-40; 16:29-30; Romans 10:11-17; Ephesians 3:17); and

WHEREAS, A “Sinner’s Prayer” is not an incantation that results in salvation merely by its recitation and should never be manipulatively employed or utilized apart from a clear articulation of the Gospel (Matthew 6:7, 15:7-9; 28:18-20); now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Louisiana Baptist Convention, meeting in West Monroe, LA, November 12-13, 2012, commend the use of a “Sinner’s Prayer” as a biblically sound and spiritually significant component of the evangelistic task of the church; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all Christians to enthusiastically and intentionally proclaim the Gospel to sinners everywhere, being prepared to give them the reason for the hope we have in Christ (I Peter 3:15), and being prepared to lead them to confess faith in Christ (Romans 10:9), including praying to receive Him as Savior and surrender to Him as Lord (John 1:12).

Expression of Appreciation

WHEREAS, many individuals and groups have had a part in planning, preparing and conducting the 165th annual meeting of our Louisiana Baptist Convention; and

WHEREAS, the messengers of this convention desire to warmly recognize and express appreciation to the following:

John Avant, Pastor, Pattie Diaz, Operations Director, Kathy Bell, Pastor’s Assistant, and the staff of First Baptist Church, West Monroe, for their assistance with details and for providing the use of the facilities for this annual meeting; and

Waylon Bailey, Convention President, for his warm, gracious spirit leading, speaking and listening to Louisiana Baptists during the year, and his gentle firmness in moderating this annual meeting; and

Fred Guilbert, Music Director for this annual meeting, for planning and coordinating the music, and the musicians for their dedicated service at the instruments; and

Jerry Price and members of the Order of Business Committee for planning this informative and inspirational annual meeting; and

Crossover West Monroe, and its volunteers for their provision of pre-evangelistic outreach and we pray for those who made decisions for Christ during the Crossover events.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers of this 165th session of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, meeting in West Monroe, Louisiana, November 12-13, 2012, express to each of the above our deepest heartfelt gratitude.

Comments

Search

Search

Generic filters

Exact matches only

Search in title

Search in content

Search in excerpt

Search in comments

Filter by Custom Post Type

Editorial

By Steve Horn
Corinth was by all historical accounts a very wicked place. When Paul established a church there, he was establishing a church in the midst of one of the most difficult cities of his day.
When we move to the letters called 1 and 2 Corinthians, we realize that the struggle in Corinth continued. … Continue Reading.